Friday, August 3, 2012

Tel/Information: 0596-43-2020. Open
7 a.m. to 5 p.m. A map of the area in English is available for free.

How to get there: From Ise-shi
Station take the JR Sangu Line to Futaminoura Station. Exit the station and
follow the road that passes under the torii opposite the station for about 25
minutes. Alternatively, take the bus from the Ise Naiku directly to Futamigaura(about
25 minutes). Walk around the left-hand side of the gift shop to the back
entrance of the shrine.

Enshrined kami: Sarutahiko no
okami, Uganomitama no okami (Ama no iwato), and Watatsumi no okami (in the
Ryugusha).

Prayers offered: For guidance in
opening new roads, the well-being of the family, safety on the roadways, and a good
marriage.

Best times to go: May to July when
the sun rises between the rocks, or between November and January for the
moonrise. Another good time is when the ropes hanging from the meoto iwa are changed on
5 May, 5 September and the second or third weekend in December.

The shrine at the base of the mountain outcrop
(remaining photos copyright Joseph Cali)

Important physical features: The
most important or, in any case, the most well-known physical feature of the shrine is located a short distance
offshore. The meoto iwa (“husband and wife rocks,” or “wedded rocks”) are two
large rocks, said to be husband and wife. The larger o-iwa (male) rock
is about 30 feet tall by 131 feet around, while the smaller me-iwa
(female) rock is about 13 feet tall by 30 feet around. The distance between the rocks is
also about 30 feet at the base. Thick straw ropes
(shimenawa) hung around the peaks of both rocks creates a link between the two and an iconography which has made them immediately recognizable throughout the world. The larger rock also has a
small torii at the peak. Based on an old print in the possession of the shrine,
the ropes were hung at least as early as the fourteenth century. But the name
meoto is from the Meiji period; it was previously called takeishizaki. In
ancient times, there was only a very small shrine on the beach that was replaced by larger
shrines over time. The current main shrine is made of concrete and stands on the rocky shore facing the meoto. Waves and storms routinely wash over the entire shrine, as
the buildings are located at the outermost tip of a mountain outcrop. Though one of the best known this is only one instance of natural features distinguished by being encircled with shimenawa. This mark of spiritual distinction is frequently seen around stones, trees, and across waterfalls.

An print from the fourteenth century shows the rocks
connected by a shinenawa

Important spiritual features: The
main deity enshrined here is Sarutahiko no okami, who guided Ninigi no mikoto
in his descent from heaven to Mount Takachiho in Kyushu. Sarutahiko no okami is
thought by many scholars to be originally a local kami of the region around
Ise. Uganomitama no okami, also enshrined in the honden, is a deity of grain
and especially associated with rice. Watasumi no okami is a kami of the sea who
is considered native to this area and enshrined in Ryugusha, a small shrine
near the rear entrance to Futami. Originally Futami Okitama Jinja was formed by combining
separate shrines called Sangu (enshrining Uganomitama) and a shrine from
Taikoji temple (enshrining Sarutahiko). Taikoji is located a few miles away. In
addition, Ama no Iwaya shrine near the main entrance to Futami enshrines a kami
of stone and is also a representation of Ama no Iwato, the cave where Amaterasu
hid herself away.

While it goes without saying that
the main focus today is on the meoto iwa and marriage, this is also a historic
starting point for the trek to Ise Jingu. At least as early as the twelfth
century pilgrims making their way over one of the many land routes began the
custom of purifying themselves here before going to Ise. Worshipers today come
here to ritually clean themselves with saltwater on certain auspicious days.
Also, people participating in the ceremony for taking building materials to Ise
(okihiki) for its shikinen sengu rebuilding every twenty years, start their
journey here with special cleaning and purification rites. The saltwater
purification, known as hamasangu, is still conducted today. In other words the
shrine and the meoto iwa have a strong historical and spiritual connection to
Ise, to Sarutahiko, and to the sea. For more details on Sarutahiko, Watasumi and other aspects of Ise faith, please see my book, Shinto Shrines; The Sacred Sites of Japan's Ancient Religion, and other pages on this blog.

The Meoto Iwa and one of the shrine's
many frog images.

Description: A large torii stands
opposite Futaminoura station, marking the entrance to the long shopping street
that leads to the shrine. The shrine itself is not visible until one walks
along the sando that wraps around the shore to the opposite side of a rocky
outcrop. Futami Okitama Jinja is the best place from which to view the meoto
iwa and pray while facing them. Since ancient times many people have made the trip to
view the sunrise between these rocks. It is also best to view the rocks at high
tide. At low tide the rocks no longer appear separated by water (though a strip
of land connected to the mainland makes it possible to walk up close to them at that time).
The rocks are also said to be a kind of torii gate for the larger formation
called okimitama shinseki,
about half a mile in diameter and located under water about half a mile off
shore.

Thekami Sarutahiko is considered by some scholars to come from the
toyoko no kuni or the ne no kuni, both believed to be lands across or under the
sea, and the okimitama is said to be the place he first alighted in this world. Sarutahiko is
also thought by some to be a solar deity. Okitama was considered the gate to
the palace of the sea god and a kind of yorishiro, or place for the sun kami to
enter the world. Scholars have speculated that the original location of Ise
Jingu was near the beach and that Okitama served as a yorishiro for Amaterasu’s
descent, when the first saigu (shrine princess) Yamatohime no mikoto came
looking for a place to enshrine the sacred mirror. It is recorded that she
found the land here so beautiful that she had to “look back twice” (futami
ura).

Three times a year, local villagers
remake the five four-inch diameter, 115-foot-long ropes weighing ninety pounds
apiece that connect and encircle the rocks. Futami Okitama Jinja is also known
for its myriad sculptures of frogs. Legend has it that in ancient times, a frog
was offered to calm the soul of a big snake that lived in Futami Bay. The
shrine, however, considers the frog to be a familiar of Sarutahiko no okami. In
addition, the pronunciation of frog (kaeru) is the same as that for “to return”
or “come back.” As a result, the shrine grounds are filled with frogs, donated
by worshipers praying for the safe return of a loved one or for the “return”
of money.

Festival: Oshimenawa Harikae Shinji
(Shimenawa Renewal Festival), 5 May, 5 September, and the second or third
weekend in December (determined by the height of the tide). In this ceremony,
the shimenawa that hang from
the meoto iwa are renewed.

About This Blog

This blog is a guide to Shinto shrines throughout Japan. It is intended as a supplement to the book "Shinto Shrines: A Guide to the Sacred Sites of Japan's Ancient Religion" which I co-authored with John Dougill. The book is published by University of Hawaii Press. It is also intended as a place to continue to publish my research into shrines and their history and as a forum for those interested in Shinto in general and shrines in particular.
In addition, the letter "C" in the upper right-hand corner means that the content has been confirmed with the shrine while a "UC" means as yet unconfirmed. While a "C" does not guarantee accuracy, these entries are more likely to be free of error.
To view my design and illustration website, please click on http://www2.gol.com/users/jcali/
Words and images on this blog (other than images belonging to individual shrines or other websites) can be used with permission of the author. Please make your request to hitsugi101@yahoo.com
Words and specified images, copyright Joseph Cali